The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), under the United States Department of Agriculture, has officially recognized Vietnam’s pangasius food safety control system after more than three years of negotiations, reports Vietnam News.
The recognition by FSIS was important for the development of the pangasius industry, deputy minister with the Ministry for Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), Phung Duc Tien, told the news site.
He said it proved Vietnam had a system in place that met US market requirements, which were among the strictest in the world.
In order to meet US regulations, MARD said it had been working closely with stakeholders in Vietnam for three years to develop a system that met the US Farm Bill 2014.
“It will help local pangasius firms to access and expand their export markets, not only in the US but also other regions,” said Nguyen Nhu Tiep of MARD, adding that it would also encourage more enterprises to export pangasius to the US along with the current 13 exporters.
Tien said the recognition would see US importers buy more fish from Vietnam, adding export value in the last two months of 2019 and contributing to the growth of the pangasius industry.
(Source: undercurrentnews)